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14 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

I am on vodafone but my PAYG only gets topped up when I need more credit, and since its gets more phone and text usage when we are on holiday, my last top up from July 2019 still has a few pounds left.

I'm with Vodaphone and pay £18 per month. I use it all over the world so I have a really good deal on the cost of calls and data I use it daily for banking, checking my credit card, my diary, news channels, weather etc etc. I occasionally use it for making calls but do receive quite a lot of texts, which is how my Doctors told me my vaccination was due (had it last Wednesday). Before anybody tells me how unsafe that is I have a quality anti-virus checker installed which I renew every year.

41 minutes ago, Snow Hill said:

Which again the Government denied would happen.

 

The app appears to be a speculative development from a private company, plus app is no use for anyone who doesn’t have a smartphone.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/vaccine-passports-zahawi-trials-report-b1786375.html

 

Surely everyone has a smartphone now!!📱

Travel insurance policies just get weirder.  Just renewed ours with our bank and looking at it to see what we are covered for I see that we cannot do Zip lining but we are covered for Bungee jumping!!

Peter and Jenny

We did a transatlantic on Ventura a couple of years ago in a D deck cabin and the never bothered us at all that we were overlooked. Next January we are on Azura and again in a D deck cabin because we loved the cabin we had on Ventura.

Peter and Jenny

We have taken the plunge and booked a fly cruise to the Caribbean on Azura in January. Its been a while since we cruised and as it will have been two years without a holiday we thought this one would suit it us perfectly. Any body else booking fly cruises yet?

Peter and Jenny

Got my vaccine invite by text today and booked for 3rd Feb. Just waiting for Jenny to get her invite (she is in over 65's group whereas I am on the over 70's) and we will have taken the first steps towards some sort of normality. We are in South Gloucestershire which seems to have things nicely organised.

Pete and Jenny

All worked okay for me, I'm using Windows edge.

Thanks for all the advice, I did indeed renew online (took two goes to get the picture accepted!!) and I just need to send my old passport off tomorrow.

Peter

Thanks for the heads up on this. I shall have to renew in the next couple of months as we are off to Spain in September and taking the "must have 6 months left to run" rule into account my EU date is now July this year. Hey ho off to the post office this week and see if our local PO can renew or if I have to go into Bristol which will have to wait until I have been vaccinated!!

Isn't life just loads of fun!!!

Peter

If I can just add a drop of reality to this conversation, you all seem to be concerned about this "95%" effectiveness. Surely you are all aware that the annual flu vaccine, which I assume you all have, is only 50% effective and therefore I think a vaccine that is almost double that effectiveness is pretty good. Personally I shall be at the front of the queue as soon as I am  told its my turn!!

Peter

All through this thread everybody seems quite put off by the Oxford vaccine only having 65% efficiency. But are you not aware that the yearly flu vaccine that we all have is only 50% efficient? To me that puts thing in a different light!!

Peter

Definitely avoid Ventura, she is awful in rough seas. We did a TA to Caribbean and back on her last year and the listing on the way back was really scary.

We have cancelled our cruise for Feb 21 and transferred the deposit to a land based holiday September 21 as we do not think a vaccine will be available until mid 21. Don't fancy this segregation lark at all!!

Peter and Jenny

With the news of this covid 19 infection on board a Hurtigruten cruise ship, I don't think cruising will be starting up any time soon no matter what your age!!

Interesting set of opinions on this thread. If you want to see what happens when mask wearing is generally not done then just look at the the infection rates in the USA which are currently going ever up wards. As for anti vaxxers just remember that childhood diseases are all back with us since ant vaxing became a trend. Small pox has been wiped out on this planet just because we all got vaccinated!

Jenny and I will have ours as soon as it's available. Can't understand anybody who says vaccines are bad for you.

Peter

Don't worry about a vaccine. If and when it is produced the USA will buy it all anyway the same as they have done with the treatment the rest of the world have been testing!!

On the subject of "Ships" and "Boats" never forget that submarines are referred to as Boats not Ships. I don't think you will fit many nuclear subs on the deck of any Ships!!

Peter

Oops, small problem then, Boris has decided no change to the 2 metre rule. What next I wonder!!

Peter

We are booked for 14th Feb 21 and thinking about cancelling as no cruise line has come up with any plan to make their vessels safe yet. We will then try to change to 14 days in Barbados next May if they will let us, or just take the loss on the deposit.

We have always stayed at the Grand Harbour Hotel. Its very nice, right in the centre of the city on West Quay Road so really easy to get to.

Peter and Jenny

I think it depends entirely on what is most important to you. The itinerary is important to us but also the cabin is we don't mix particularly well with other folk so we spend a bit of time in our cabin. We did a week around the Caribbean with Silver Sea and visited many smaller islands, but the cabin was small for a balcony cabin and the butler was mostly not around. Booze was free and very nice, the food was average and the entertainment very limited.

We have cruised with P&O a lot but the only time we had a suite was on Adonia and that was very nice but sadly P&O sold it off before we could take our next cruise on her.which I thought was a shame.

For us though the best suites have always been in Queens grill on Queen Victoria, the food was fabulous and the suites very comfortable and the entertainment first class. We found the Cunard butlers were great, nothing was too much trouble.

As everyone has said its what's important to you, not to anyone else. As they say, you pay your money and you takes your choice!

Whatever you choose make sure you enjoy the cruise.

Peter and Jenny

Unless the FCO advice on overseas travel is changed its all irrelevant anyway as all of our travel insurance will be null and void!!

With the announcement that TUI are to layoff 8000 staff I wonder how this will affect Marella. Obviously this is TUI worldwide but there may still be layoffs in UK customer services which will have an affect here in the UK. With the news that P&O and Cunard staff in Southampton are being let go it would come as no surprise to hear similar news about Marella.

Peter

1 hour ago, so,ton saint said:

 

Like Royal and P&O have just started to send there crew home and Marella doing the same,

Apparently Cunard and P&O have been transferring Indian crew members to Ventura which will sail to India on 15th May to repatriate them. So Cunard and P&O aren't about to restart any time soon and I would think neither is Marella. Possibly next spring/summer. We are already talking about cancelling our cruise for next February on E2.

Peter and Jenny